Whereas many around the globe may immediately recognise Portuguese actress Lúcia Moniz for her starring function in Love Really, it seems she truly has one other surprising declare to fame.
In 2003 Richard Curtis’ romantic comedy hit screens. Set through the Christmas season, the movie delved into the completely different elements of affection – advised in 10 separate tales involving a string of people that it’s found are linked because the film performs out.
It was an enormous success on the field workplace, incomes $250.2million (£185million) after being made on a price range of $40million (£29million).
One in all these tales was the blossoming romance between author Jamie, performed by Colin Firth, and his Portuguese housekeeper Aurélia, performed by Moniz, who he meets when retreating to Marseille after discovering his girlfriend is dishonest on him together with his brother.
Regardless of their preliminary attraction in direction of one another, issues are made difficult because of the reality she doesn’t converse English.
However decided to not let the possibility at love cross him by, Jamie begins studying Portuguese and races again to France to declare his love for Aurélia earlier than its too late.
Greater than 20 years after being launched to the actress, many will do not know that years earlier than Love Really, Moniz additionally had one other notable profession achievement – representing her nation on the Eurovision Tune Contest.
The daughter of composer, performer, and conductor Carlos Alberto Moniz, and singer and actress Maria do Amparo, Moniz, now 49, grew up on the island of Terceira within the Azores earlier than the household moved to Lisbon.
She was simply six years outdated when she started learning at a music academy, then happening to learnt the violin too.
It was when she was 19 that Moniz then entered Portugal’s Pageant da Canção – a nationwide pageant produced and broadcast by Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) to pick out its entry for Eurovision.
Competing along with her track O meu coração não tem cor (My Coronary heart Has No Color), Moniz received the competition by simply 4 factors, earlier than happening to signify Portugal at Eurovision in 1996.
It was on the contest – held in Oslo, Norway – that she completed sixth out of 23 contestants and nonetheless holds the report for the nation’s second most profitable participant, after Salvador Sobral received in 2017.
Following her success at Eurovision, Moniz was then solid in her first appearing function in 1997 – enjoying twins within the cleaning soap opera A Grande Aposta. She was then solid in one other cleaning soap, titled Terra Mãe.
In 1999 she then launched her first studio album Magnolia, which reached the highest 20 within the Portuguese albums chart and was licensed Gold. Her subsequent album, 67, dropped in 2002.
However it was her subsequent main job that might see her acquire worldwide consideration – being solid in Love Really.
In 2021 she spoke to Portuguese Soul journal about being a part of the now-iconic festive movie.
‘It was unbelievable. And it’s unbelievable to be a part of a basic. No one anticipated the movie would have that influence,’ she shared.
‘The movie was truly launched at Christmas as a result of it includes the Christmas interval, however I by no means thought that after seventeen years it could nonetheless be thought of the basic film we watch in the present day.
‘All the pieces began with castings in Portugal, and I used to be chosen from amongst 25 actresses. The complete expertise was marvellous. I discovered an enormous quantity and encountered an unbelievable actuality and nice actors, corresponding to Colin Firth.’
Requested if she nonetheless stored in contact with any of the solid, she defined: ‘Sure, with Colin Firth and Invoice Nighy. I converse to Emma Thompson every now and then. There was a reunion two or three years in the past and it was fantastic. We had been all urging Richard to jot down a sequel. However he didn’t need to. I sincerely consider we needed to do a second movie, due to how nice it was to be again collectively.’
Though that sequel is but to eventuate, within the years for the reason that unique, Moniz has launched an extra three albums – Leva-me p’ra casa (Take Me House), Fio de Luz and Calendário, the latter which was launched in 2015.
Two years after that she additionally reprised her function from Love Really for Purple Nostril Day Really, a short-film sequel created for Comedian Aid.
On the massive display screen, she’s additionally appeared within the Portuguese movies Fatima and Hear.
Though many will immediately recognise the actress for Love Really, her Eurovision success will even mark an enormous turning level in Moniz’s profession
As she as soon as mentioned about competing on the contest: ‘I used to be simply having enjoyable. I had an ideal, nice crew with me. We had been singing Portuguese music each day, within the lodge corridors and on the streets.’
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